Walking through the EUR district in the Eternal City of Rome, you may have noticed a curious building… we’re talking about Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana, also officially called Palazzo della Civiltà del Lavoro, but commonly referred to as Colosseo Quadrato ( the Square Colosseum). This building was designed by Giovanni Guerrini, Mario Romano and Ernesto La Padula, three Italian architects, in 1938 and, with its neoclassical and Rationalistic design, it’s one of the symbols of fascist architecture.
Let’s find out something more about Colosseo Quadrato!
The historical significance of Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana
As mentioned before, Palazzo della Civiltà Italiana is located in the EUR district in Rome. For those of you who don’t know, EUR stands for “Esposizione Universale Roma” (Rome’s Universal Exhibition), an initiative started by the fascist Benito Mussolini in 1935, who planned to have a world exhibition in this place in 1942.
Many different designs for this building were considered but, ultimately, Benito Mussolini chose to go with the one made by Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto Bruno La Padula and Mario Romano because he thought it was the best example of rationalism.
Construction began in 1938 and, even though the Square Colosseum was inaugurated in 1940, it only finished in 1943, with supervising work by Marcello Piacentini, who chose to add its characteristic travertine facade.
The Universal Exhibition never happened though, thanks to the fall of Fascism and the aftermath of the ending of World War II.
EUR District: from Fascism to modern Architecture
Nowadays, the EUR district is branded as a symbol of modern architecture, breaking away from its fascist correlation. The rebranding happened because, after the end of World War II, since the Italian population had increased during fascism, there was a need for more habitable areas. Because of this, the EUR became a suburban housing district and its architecture was simply rebranded as modern.
Another thing that helped break away from the stigma of fascism was Rome’s candidacy to host the Olympics in 1960.
The building hosted its first exhibition in 1953, the Roma 1953 Agricultural Exhibition.
Nowadays it also houses the headquarters of the famous brand Fendi.
The Construction and Design of the Square Colosseum
As previously said, this curious building was designed by Guerrini, La Padula and Romano, and supervised by director Gaetano Minucci. The logistics of the construction were overseen by the Project Development Office of The Architectural Service.
Another interesting aspect of the Square Colosseum are the materials it was built with: concrete foundation, clad in travertine and skeleton.
The Inscription: Mussolini’s Words on the Square Colosseum
If you look up close, you may notice an inscription. It consists of a sentence extracted from a speech made by Mussolini on the 2nd of October 1935 and it states: “Un popolo di poeti, di artisti, di eroi, di santi, di pensatori, di scienziati, di navigatori, di trasmigratori”, which means “a nation of poets, artists, heroes, thinkers, scientists, navigators and migrators”.
Conclusion
Taking a walk through the EUR district during your holidays in Rome will definitely make for an interesting experience and a different day. If you want to get to know more about Rome and Italy in general, we highly suggest you check out our other blogs and book a Rome tour with us!
